Thursday, December 29, 2016

in which our plucky heroine looks again towards the beginning of a new year...

My ongoing goal-setting seems to be becoming gradually more realistic, while my personal motto has solidly taken the form of "incremental progress is still progress". I have been using the concept of SMART* goals for the last three years, in combination with this blog as a way of keeping track.

In the last three years I have made significant progress in making things, (mostly for others, but some for myself as well) in assorted mending and repair of my home and surroundings, and in my decluttering of Acorn Cottage... Because this format works for me, I intend to continue using this method of recordkeeping indefinitely. Stay tuned for the Great Big Chart reveal tomorrow, of all that was accomplished in 2016...

My goals for 2017, in no particular order:

Finally sew enough clothing to meet my personal goal of functional seasonal wardrobes, to end up with a weeksworth of clothing for summertime and layers for the colder seasons. Being an active participant in online sewing challenges like SWAP 2016 and the seasonal 6PACs will help keep me motivated.

Finish the major decluttering of Acorn Cottage, and organise the supplies, tools, and materials of daily life. I've been gradually working on this project for the last three years, with the goal of having a living space that allows me to focus on vocational and avocational actions instead of on finding lost things

Teach at least one artisanry* workshop every month. As I will never be able to return to housecleaning as my primary income, moving forward in a different direction of sharing my knowledge and skills with others is my goal
*enameling, metalwork, stitchery, or handicraft

Outside the house improvements: improve the chicken habitat here at Acorn Cottage, create yard tool storage, add at least one or more garden beds for vegetable growing, and set up the carport as an outdoor room...

Finally paint at least one room in the interior of the house other colors than "former owner white" once the weather is warm enough for opening the windows

Create some personal artwork (possibly suitable for gallery showing), in at least one of the techniques that I enjoy

Begin finding ways to work towards a more kindly world with justice and options for all people

Continue to care well for my body, without which none of these goals are possible or relevant!

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Have been doing a LOT of decluttering, discarding old papers from various files, outdated medicines/toiletries, and beginning the gradual reorganisation of cupboards and storage zones, that will be the second level of transforming the space here. Mindy came down for a short visit, and was very supportive whilst I dug through stuff and helped me move things around. First step is letting go of what is unnecessary, second step, which will mostly be happening in 2017, is to place what is necessary or delightful in ways that allow it to be accessed when needed, or desired. My goal is to free up as much of my energy as possible for the greater good and have less tied up in worry and confusion. Goodness knows that there is enough of that out there in the wide world, if I can remove obstacles at home, I will be more effective as a human person in my interactions with external and internal reality. That is my hope, anyway...

:::

Not only have I begun working on my SWAP 2017 sewing projects, but have also seemingly decided that some new coordinating accessories are in order. This is going to be a new shoulder shawlette similar to my beloved but missing Noro shawlette. The difference, aside from it obviously not being Noro but Cascade 220, is that rather than simply following a straight Feather and Fan pattern I have also decided to add curved shaping to the shawlette, which means that I am adding additional growing points not only to the center back of the garment, but to both of the end points. This means I need to be continually figuring out where to stop and start the pattern increases and decreases, as the end points keep changeing. Not dull knitting, but will be a terribly useful little warming bit of wooly goodness when it is done. Eventually.

:::

“It's like, at the end, there's this surprise quiz: am I proud of me? I gave my life to become the person I am right now! Was it worth what I paid?”

- Richard Bach

:::

December SMART goals

#

THINGS MADE

THINGS FIXED

THINGS GONE

1

wee jambe enamel

5 skirts hemmed
(for Megan)

full paper recycle bin

2

Tullia apron

turtleneck mended

bag of papers

3

3 dishcloths

-

bag of papers

4

table drape

-

bag of papers

5

candied peel

-

bag of papers

6

rum balls

-

binders to Goodwill

7

persimmon bread

-

bag to Goodwill

8

-

-

2 bags of papers

9

-

-

3 bags of papers

10

-

-

3 bags to Goodwill

11

-

-

-

12

-

-

-

13

-

-

-

14

-

-

-

:::

* ...as in "when you are going through hell... keep going" which is what I am going to do my best to remember for the next four, or umpteen howevermany years...

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

in which our plucky heroine confronts the Perilous Piles of Paper, and is impressed with the creativity of her local pals ...

After last week when I cleared away the paper detritus from the computer zone, it seemed like a natural next step to start dealing with the paper handling systems here at Acorn Cottage. I've a big two drawer file cabinet in the workshop, which has not had any organization applied to it in well over a decade, and in truth, it has been more dead storage than active filing, which is a waste of good cubic. My coach and I decided that the Monday after my holiday/birthday party would be an excellent day for focusing on this project. Through the miracle of technology, I here, and she faraway connected intermittently all day long, while I sorted through piles of papers, emptied and culled file folder contents, discarded/recycled unneeded papers and relabeled the refilled contents of the file cabinet with words that actually were clue-ful for me to access information and images when I need them.

The two full drawers contents were weeded down to part of one, with the remainder of that drawer now holding not-yet-used pads of artist paper, tracing paper, and graph paper for future projects and planning. The second drawer is empty, and will end up storing additional art materials once we move on to a level two organization of the house contents. The end of the level one declutter is actually in sight, as soon there will be no more Boxes of Unknown Contents. My aim is to complete level one by the end of 2016... wish me luck

:::

For the last few years, I've hosted a "Saturnalia" party toward the end of December, as a contradiction in the darkest season, and to celebrate to my own natal day, which occurs at more or less the same time. Not at all a convenient time of year for a party, when every weekend day or evening has multiple events filling the calendar, but needs must.

This last Saturday a delightful assortment of my friends arrived to spend the afternoon or longer in convivial conversation. This year, unlike the last several, there was no specific requirement for Roman food or garb, but my dearly loved and eccentrically creative pals Ursel and Marya were undeterred... You may not remember that last year they were partially responsible for the arrival of the Coliseum, complete with sea battle between gummi bears and gummi sea serpents. This year there was an inspired combination of architecture and geology:

Not everyone gets a holiday/birthday subtlety complete with "documentation" (in the form of an artist rendition of what the Forum at Pompeii probably looked like prior to eruption...)

and... despite some issues with the unexpectedly no longer liquid "congealed" lava (strawberry jam needed a bit of help from a serving spoon in order to break out for suitable pyroclastic flow)

The aftermath of the eruption...

Thankfully for the state of my kitchen, my dear friends were sparing with the powdered sugar "volcanic ash"

Monday, December 19, 2016

The computer zone here is has been sort of a hot mess, for a long time. There is really only one place in the house where it can be located, at the confluence of the phone line and a power outlet, and since Acorn Cottage was built long before multiple outlets all over the house were considered standard, much less multiple phone jacks.

My declutter coach came up with a strategy, that I would first remove ALL the paper clutter, as well as the vast numbers of random bits that seem to have found their final resting spots scattered around the desk space. Dealing with the paper* is a separate project, as is dealing with whatever was cluttering up all the flat surfaces. There isn't much I can do about the drifts of power cords that garland the right side of the shelving and desktops, but I can keep the surfaces from becoming buried in moop-y detritus.

Now that the bundles and bits and what feel like reams of old notes and printouts have been corralled and removed, the bones of my desk space have surfaced. Like most of the rooms, the living room is dark, so I draped a strand of fairy lights up to help make this spot a little less troglodyte. I cleared out one of the two little drawers under the monitor, will think about what may be useful to keep there - the other drawer has an assortment of CD's that are used on the computer (program backups, music, and information) so they rather belong there for now...

:::

This just showed up on my FB feed and was rather charmingly unexpected; I remember watching The Monkees on television back when I was young, but I don't remember this...

:::

December SMART goals

#

THINGS MADE

THINGS FIXED

THINGS GONE

1

wee jambe enamel

5 skirts hemmed
(for Megan)

paper recycle bin

2

Tullia apron

winter turtleneck mended

-

3

3 knitted dishcloths

-

-

4

custom table drape

-

-

5

-

-

-

6

-

-

-

7

-

-

-

8

-

-

-

9

-

-

-

10

-

-

-

11

-

-

-

12

-

-

-

13

-

-

-

14

-

-

-

:::

* tune in tomorrow for Episode 2: "Dealing with the Paper Piles of Peril..."

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

in which our plucky heroine does her best to keep warm, as the second snow of the season begins...

The dry new snow is filling in the gaps between the concrete pathway "stones" and amongst the gravel in the side yard. The forecast is for the temperatures to continue to fall, and by Saturday be only barely creeping above freezing at the warmest, and then falling back down into the 20's... not my favorite sort of weather!

went out back to take in the chook water, which has turned to icy slush in the bitter cold, and noticed how the very dry tiny snow bits were lining up on the centers of the fern fronds...

:::

There were tears... this is so sweet... (I first found Raymond Briggs via his also iconic graphic novel "When the Wind Blows" which is anything but sweet, and only later found "The Snowman". This sequel was made by the same team that put together the original Snowman animation)

Monday, December 12, 2016

I have been working on a rush sewing commission, making a linen table drape for a new client, to cover a folding banquet table for some presentation they are doing on Wednesday. As sometimes happens, it took eversomuch longer than I imagined, (since it was something that seemed simple and straightforward). Made closer to minimum wage than my preferred hourly, but at least it is done well ahead of the desired pick up time. I should remember that pretty much any "decor" type of sewing takes a lot longer than I think it will, just because of the length of the pieces.

I've also been working on putting together bids for the Barony of Wastekeep new coronet project... not much to show yet, until submissions close, but there has been a lot of drawing happening here at Acorn Cottage. I'm also still considering making a calendar for 2017, possibly a new iteration of AlphaSketch, with the animals and plants from the second half of the alphabet. Perhaps a calendar would be a way of focusing on hope for a better year to come.

:::

Beautifully stylised animation, and one of many variants on the classic runaway wife ballad...

Saturday, December 10, 2016

in which our plucky heroine takes an excursion...
(earlier in the week, on Wednesday, before all the snow and ice)

Somehow, there is always more beauty to be seen inside the Lan Su Chinese Garden. It is a wonder of design, in whatever season of the year... that takes up an entire city block downtown. This month they celebrate "Nine Free Days" where for the price of a donation of shelf stable food for the Oregon Food Bank, you get free admission to the Garden that day!

only the good die young - there were still a few pomegranates hanging on to the branches in the first courtyard. so beautiful in the winter sunlight, but they won't live to ripen into edible fruit this late in the year

winter camellias in a courtyard, viewed through a wooden screen

The curved window in the wall allows a view of the banana tree and more pebble paving, in a narrow private space. I hope that the tree was warmly wrapped up prior to last night's deep frost

layers and layers of pierced screens of wood, and layers and layers of decoration...

Their hachiya persimmon tree was laden with vivid orange fruits

roof tiles and end caps, with just a bit of mossy greenery glowing in the winter sunlight

Was quite grateful to Brigitta for calling the 9 Free Days to my attention, and was fun to go there with her, and to share my love of Sushi Ichiban, where we walked over in the cold winter sunshine and had lunch afterwards...

Friday, December 9, 2016

in which our plucky heroine remembers that discretion is the better part of valor, and chooses to stay at home...

this morning the edges and tops of everything were coated with ice, and the changing temperatures added icicles as a fringe benefit

The apple tree in the backyard, slow to lose it's leaves, appears dipped in a drippy layer of sugar syrup. This is the half of the tree that mistakenly produced a second flush of blossoms in August and then wee apples at the very tail end of the summer. One of said green apples barely visible behind the cluster of iced leaves.

Ooops... tired girl forgot to bring in the chook water last night after shutting them in their house. It didn't take long to melt it with hot water in the kitchen sink, and replace the frozen ice with warm water for the chooks. I don't know, however, what (short of forceful action on my part) will entice the hens out of their sleeping quarters... They understandably dislike the slippery cold environment. Even my addition of raisin bread to their normal breakfast of hen pellets was deemed unworthy

More ice on the apple tree, the layer is about a quarter inch thick

Temperature this morning at about 8 AM...Everything beyond my covered front walkway is a sheet of lumpy ice. My initial plan for the day, to get together with Marya and go a second time to the Chinese garden downtown during their 9 Free Days promotion, is not going to happen. I don't want to try walking out there anywhere today, even with my Yaktrax on... just getting out to the chooks in the backyard is enough challenge for today!

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

The chooks are huddled in the far corner of their little house, safely locked away from varmints, and with another thick layer of shavings added to the floor inside their domicile, to help keep them a bit warmer and more insulated. The weather forecast is for "ice balls" which is apparently weather-ese for sleet. Currently, the wind is howling outside Acorn cottage. Am about to make some nice warm broth for a hot drink, and get back to assorted housey tasks.

this was the beginnings of snow, after lunchtime, taken through the window that looks onto the back yard... chooks are appalled at the conditions outside and only left their house when I brought them treats...

:::

Last month amongst the finishing up of studio work for others, I also set the acorn enamel that has been in my box of unset enamels for years. It was a sample I made back in 2007, for the class that Bill and I co-taught up in Seattle, on engraving for enameling. The leaf veins and acorn caps are engraved on the silver base, under the transparent enamel.

:::

Tullia found some amazing "science" fabric and had me make it up for her as a criss-cross wrap back apron:

the extra fabric scraps will become kitchen mitts:::

Yesterday I thought it might be too cold to go to the pool, weather warnings for black ice and for pedestrians and cyclists to take care, was 26F on the thermometer on my front porch. Dang! Have only a few more days 'til the pool closes for the rest of the year. Still, better safe than splatted...

I might be nuts but I went ahead and rode my bike to the pool last night anyway, for water exercise. It was really hella cold riding there and back, and they didn't have the pool temperature set as warm as it should be, but it was still worth it.

and... apparently I walked five miles yesterday, or over 13K steps, according to the pedomenter. Which explains why I am so hurting today, that might have been a bit much! Am not giving up, am determined to heal beautifully and be able to walk freely and with stamina, but was rather overdoing it with the exercise

Monday, December 5, 2016

Almost done cutting out two more pinafores, one in dark denim, and one in a mostly black wool with small cream thread flecks... I am thinking that since I seem to be lacking in dress lengths of fabric, but have enough for a total of five pinafores, that my plan seems to be shifting just a bit:
4 overs - grey corduroy pinafore, brown brushed twill pinafore, dark denim pinafore, black corduroy pinafore
4 tops - brown/cream mushroom print blouse, blue midcentury floral blouse, brown/cream oxford cloth blouse, and light blue/brown/cream horses print blouse.
OR
4 dresses - turquoise shot cotton dress, black blue grey stripe dress,
??? dress, ??? dress
3 bottoms - brown capri loose leggings, grey capri loose leggings, and black capri loose leggings... I might go ahead and use the black RTW leggings that I plan on using for a pattern as part of my SWAP, since I do not have much knit fabric on my "resource shelves" in suitable color/weight/yardage to make leggings from.

For my Wintertime 6PAC, the current brown twill pinafore, and the upcoming black/cream wool pinafore will be the stars. K is still working on the black chopshop cardigan for me. I could cut out and stitch up two long sleeve knit tops, from the hemp knit on my resource shelves... one is a blue/grey stripe, and the other is a black/white marl (which I intend to overdye in a cool taupe brown). Knit tops are speedy to make. Then if I manage to sort out the blouse/jacket pattern well enough, I could make another unlined jacket layer in either the brown twill or the black corduroy, since either would be a very useful addition to the daily wardrobe... Well, so would a knitted cardigan, but that takes a LOT longer

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Friday our plucky heroine began another tiny regalia brooch for Tullia... 1/2" diameter. This one will become a Jambe*, and I lightly marked the base to guide where I will be wet-packing the white and yellow enamel to create the checky background... This should be fun! (will be the smallest Jambe ever so far from my workshop)

In 2015 I made a whole series of regalia brooches for her, for all the different awards and honors she had accrued so far. I then created two more earlier this year, when she was awarded two more Baronial honors. Our Tullia is an incredible dynamo, and is well deserving of all the recognition she receives.

The first layer of enamel is first dotted into the places it will occupy in the finished background, to create the An Tir checky... then each square is shaped by pushing the enamel grains into a more precise arrangement, using a tiny 10/0 brush. This image shows the process about half complete

When all the enamel in the first layer is arranged in a check formation, it is ready for the first firing... By scribing the checky divisions in the fine silver base disc, it made it a lot easier for me to get the background design fairly even

Once the first layer of golden yellow is fused in place, then the first layer of opaque white enamel is added... and so forth... repeatedly. It takes at least four to six firings before the background is relatively even and smooth.

Just an idea of how small this enamel actually is... after six trips into the kiln, finally the checky background is level enough to allow for painting the final layers of enamel, that will define the Lion's leg and paw, but that is a task for tomorrow...

Sometimes the fire gods smile... got the wee Jambe painted and fired in only one go-round this morning! The bottle of lavender oil I opened was thicker than usual, which may be why the mixture of oil and painting enamel behaved so nicely? I am quite chuffed; all that remains is to make a brooch setting for it

*the Order of Jambe de Lion is an award given in the SCA Kingdom of An Tir for excellence in the arts and sciences, and the badge is the "arm of the lion" on a background of An Tir checky (alternating gold and silver squares)

Saturday, December 3, 2016

...in which our plucky heroine attempts to make things easier for those who don't already know her pretty well....

This list is an ongoing work-in-progress, since like each year for the past several, I've been participating in Daegmar's Sekrit Santa gift exchange... It is actually pretty difficult to find objects that fit the requirements: keep the exchanged gift either handmade and/or homemade, or if purchased to be $20 or less); since most of what will make a real difference in my life are not things, but the gift of time and the sharing of some resources, rather than actual "stuff".

It seemed a good idea to provide both general guidelines to what I like and do not like, as well as a modest annotated list of assorted Useful and Delightful things:

Random wishlist notes:

my favorite colors: The kind of blue that you get from indigo: nightsky and dark denim. The greyish color of natural linen. Taupe. Grey. Soft dull turquoise. The dark black brown of some kinds of undyed sheep wool. Bittersweet chocolate brown.

In general, food is not a Fjorlief treat and neither are scented things. Our plucky heroine does not particularly like chocolate and is allergic to cherries and hazelnuts...

I mostly do not collect things, in particular I don't collect acorn kitsch, even though the house is named Acorn Cottage; I really do NOT collect chicken things, even though there are often hens in residence...

Annotated wishlist items that cost less than $20,
in no particular order:

k

diamond hones - these would work well for their intended purpose, and might also work really well for stoning down enamels. They are also available at Winks here in Portland, at least I saw them there the last time

Zirkel magnetic pin holder - a number of my online sewing pals have this pin holder, which looks like a big improvement on the one I currently have

Julienne peeler - this might be a good way to add additional texture to my veggie salad consumption, I can imagine carrots or beets as tiny shreds of color and nutrition

bicycle kickstand - my bike has a kickstand, but whoever installed it cut it too short, so my bike always tries to fall over, which is most annoying. I need a new one.

It would be a very good addition to the infrastructure here to acquire an extension ladder. One that is long enough to reach the gutters, or the attic hatchways, and strong enough for someone that weighs over 200 lbs... must needs do a bit more research as to what would be suitable

new mattress - my current mattress, while not terrible old, has become terribly topographical. I had the chance to sleep on one of these Casper mattresses in the guest room at my friends house, and it was excellent! (slept through the night, didn't wake up all achey and contorted) My friends have had one in their own bedroom for months now, and it seems to be holding up really well

I have several friends that own Excalibur food dehydrators, all quite happy with how useful they are, it might be a good alternative way to preserve food for shelf-stable pantry storage here at Acorn Cottage.

More time than money:

bicycle tuneup - I have a bike, I ride my bike a lot, but I don't know how to work on a bike... anyone out there want to walk me through a basic tuneup?

knitted leg-warmers - Compression socks preclude wooly handknit socks, but socks sans feet would cover the parts not in the shoes, and be a layer of insulation that would also add comfort and color.

company whilst sorting - I always want this. Come and hang out with our plucky heroine whilst I continue to sort and declutter...

help with constructing garden beds - It would be great to build a new raised bed in the backyard, the old one from ten years ago has sort of disintegrated.replace bicycle tires + tubes + add Slime - If someone out there knows how to do this, and has the tools, my trusty bike needs help, the back tire is almost bald...

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

As making custom pieces is probably our plucky heroine's favorite thing to do, it was really delightful to collaborate with J. The custom rune pendant, a project that began several months ago, was just finished up and mailed out today.

This is a bit about how the process worked... I started with a series of sketches, the only caveat being the particular motif, the small size (1" x 3/4") and the colors blue/orange/gold. Not sure what kind of look they were going for, I offered an assortment of styles both pictorial and geometric:

.

.

.

From all of these, the choice was for the simple elegant "bands of color" outline, which was my own favorite as well. Given the scale of the enamel, my plan was to use limoges painting enamel techniques for the rune motif, as it allows very fine detail.

I then did a more finished rendering, to clearly show what I proposed to create for them, a small rectangular enamel set in silver

In order to translate the sketch into a finished enamel, I needed to test the various orange enamels on hand, since that color is pretty much never used in regalia. I wanted to get as close a match to the sketch as I could...

None of the opaque colors looked right as a background for the center section, so I chose my old friend "Thompson's Tea Rose", a venerable pink that turns vivid gold when fired on silver.

My first effort at creating the borders, the outer blue strip, while not a dark cobalt, looked much too dark compared to the warm orange and gold. By using wet-packing the enamel directly, instead of using cloisonné, I was able to get an effect of soft borders, rather than hard outlines, which really suited the design.

After some additional email consultation, the dark blue was replaced with a lighter color... much better visual balance. Adding the detailed complex lines of the rune (just over 1/2" tall) was a real challenge; I think it took at least six firings or more for the motif to have all the details even and tidy.

Finally a simple silver pendant setting was made to fit the enamel. I use serrated fine silver bezel wire to hold the enamel in place, as the malleable pure silver, combined with the serrations, is the most gentle way I know to hold the enamel in place securely. I decided to use some spiral twisted wire for the pendant bails, and made them large enough to allow for various kinds of chain or necklace to be used with the pendant.

I can only hope that 2017 will allow me additional opportunity to create durable, wearable special artifacts of beauty for people...

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

in which our plucky heroine is grateful for a chance to spend time with friends...

Last weekend was An Tir Collegium, a new educational SCA event, which was held in Pasco, WA.. I had already decided to attend, but not do a presentation (I was honored to have been asked, but my travels earlier this autumn precluded my also having enough prep time for a lecture and handout/bibliography). It was definitely useful to see various ways that other folks put their presentations together, and I have ideas for what I can do next time. A very nifty innovation was that the site token for the event was a tiny thumb drive the size and shape of a credit card, with all the handouts from the event, so that even for the classes (there were nine tracks, some with six or seven classes each) we did not attend we still got some data.

while traveling, we stopped both outbound and return at Maryhill Stonehenge... I love this view (two states and the Columbia River between)

The view in the opposite direction. I'd never been here before at this time of year, and the bits of autumnal color were a delight. Plus windmills. I love the windmills.

Driving across eastern Washington on the way home, the power lines formed a cohort of giant electric cats marching alongside the highway

Back at Stonehenge, the day was heading towards sunset, and the sky was much more dramatic

And, my excellent traveling companions... Marya, Ursel, and Mea

:::

Alas, I think that the cold, that I have been attempting to fight off since the weekend, is winning... I feel like crap, and a return to bed is seeming more and more like a good idea. I am too wobbly to keep trying to solder bezels. Seems like every time I stay in a hotel I come home sick... time to go put the chooks to bed and then do the same for myself

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

I almost never bring trinkets home, as the last three years have been all about letting go of what is no longer necessary. But I could not resist these two small Japanese Akita-Inu figurines, who somehow ended up on the Goodwill holiday shelf. They are being added to my permanent collection here at Acorn Cottage. No, I was not born in the Year of the Dog, but I have been looking for some little sculptures just like these for a long time.

These are about two and three inches tall. I have read that little Akita figurines are sometimes a gift in Japan to parents of newborns, for good luck, and to convalescents as a wish for speedy recovery... not sure how true the info, but I liked the sentiment.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

in which our plucky heroine reminds self that when times seem, or actually are dire, art gives us both hope and visions of alternatives... don't give up, don't stop making, don't stop making art...

“It’s not as easy as that,” said Summer sadly. “I can’t stop myself from worrying.”

“You’re human,” said Glorious. “Humans hoard up their fears as if the world might run out.” He huffed a laugh. “Still, you build cities with them—and towers and artworks and families and faiths. It seems to work for your people, even if it would not work for mine.”

“I wish I was a wolf,” said Summer.

“That is a very sensible wish,” said Glorious. “But even Baba Yaga cannot grant you that. So you will simply have to be a brave human.”

--- T Kingfisher aka Ursula Vernon

Ursula Vernon posted three new chapters of "Summer In Orcus" yesterday... as she said "...because we need comfort right now. It's not much, but it's a few thousand words you can spend among friends, and hopefully give your heart a brief respite."

:::

and because whatever the larger world is doing, bodies still need clothes, I am, in between the needs of working, and house declutter and organise, planning and sewing some clothing to refurbish my Very Empty Closet. I've takenthe quarterly online challenge of 6PAC sewing, and the annual SWAP (Sewing With A Plan) challenge, over on the Stitchers Guild message board as inspiration.

The wardrobe planning I did last week has turned into a list of 27 garments. While this sounds like quite a lot, most everything I own as everyday clothing is quite worn and threadbare, as I've done precious little sewing for self in the last three years. I have learned over time that after about three years of wear, my clothing mostly becomes too worn to mend, so I need to either be gradually sewing a few new pieces every year, or need to plan and carry out a massive sewing intensive...

.

WARDROBE PLAN SEWING

#

done

6PAC

SWAP

garment

1

-

-

-

black linen crop pants

2

-

※

-

black chopshop cardigan

3

-

-

-

black knit top

4

-

-

-

black linen top

5

-

※

-

black corduroy pinafore

6

-

-

※

turquoise shot cotton dress

7

-

-

-

blue/grey striped knit top

8

-

※

※

brown twill pinafore

9

-

※

-

brown twill jacket

10

-

-

-

black/brown A/C top

11

-

※

-

black/brown marl knit top

12

-

※

※

black/brown flannel dress

13

※

-

-

black/grey handknit wool vest

14

-

-

※

blue floral blouse

15

-

-

※

dark indigo denim pinafore

16

-

-

※

indigo pinstripe dress

17

-

-

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brown raincoat

18

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black rain capelet

19

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black rainhat

20

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brown crop knit pants

21

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blue crop knit pants

22

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grey crop knit pants

23

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blue striped batik dress

24

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brown mushroom blouse

25

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grey corduroy pinafore

26

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black/grey/blue stripe dress

27

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blue knit turtleneck

:::

Though I am sickened and terrified and grief-struck, I figure the most radical thing we can do is to continue to live, to stay here, to do whatever small individual things are possible to shift things back to a more positive inclusive place, a place of hope, and even though I feel no hope today, to continue to create the world I do want to live in, where everyone has a place and enough...

These ideals got me through my cancer journey, and will hopefully continue to serve me well... I do know, however, that without both luck and public assistance, I wouldn't be here alive now to write these words - If I hadn't been in the 10% who made it through the OHP lottery* in 2011, I would have died of cancer in 2012

* For most of my adult life, as a self employed artist, I have had no health care insurance coverage at all. When I moved to my current home, I found out that technically at my income level I was eligible for the OHP, the state health insurance for low income folks. The catch was that there were far more people that needed that coverage than there was money allocated. So every year or two, as funds became available, you were allowed to sign up to be in the lottery for whatever additional places were opened up. The year I "got lucky", there were over 10,000 applicants for just 1000 places. The next year I was diagnosed with cancer. I wish we were not the only first world country that refuses to provide universal health care for its citizens, and I grieve for all the precious lives needlessly lost because access to care is refused.